A ground-breaking hospital scheme in Toronto is now open for business, combining a shimmering new healthcare building and the adaptive reuse of the neighbouring pre-Confederation Don Jail into administration facilities. Designed to a masterplan by Urban Strategies in 2006, Bridgepoint Active Healthcare was created by two teams: Stantec Architecture and KPMB Architects were responsible for the project specific outline specifications and the Design Exemplar while HDR Architecture and Diamond Schmitt Architects were the architects to the Design, Build, Finance and Maintain consortium responsible for the design as constructed and Architects of Record.

The complex will be critically reviewed over the coming years in ‘the most rigorous hospital facility Post Occupancy Evaluation in the history of Canada’ to ensure the effectiveness of the design and the consequences of the architectural design on patients’ health and mental wellbeing. It is hoped that the results of the ongoing evaluation will help set new standards for healthcare architecture and design in Ontario.

In total the hospital offers 464 beds and focuses on the rehabilitation of patients living with complex health conditions. With this in mind, a number of design elements have been included which have been scientifically proven to have a dramatic effect on wellbeing along the road to recovery. These include the incorporation of a green roof, large windows for those in bed to enjoy far-reaching views across Toronto, and a ‘porch’ on the ground floor to gently integrate the building into the local community. The next phase of this project will focus on landscaping and gardens to create an ‘interconnected, pedestrian-friendly campus’.

Celeste Alvard, Ph.D Research Scientist explains: “In the next three years, Ontario will invest $3.5bn in hospital infrastructure. Our research is the first of its kind to focus on the development of methods and measures to evaluate the impact of building design on wellbeing and improved health outcomes for people living with complex conditions. The research findings will be used to shape the process and methods for evaluating healthcare facilities across Ontario, with potential uptake across Canada and internationally, to inform strategic investments in healthcare facility design.”